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The United States has called on Israel to be fully “transparent” related to an air strike that reportedly killed at least 35 people at a central Gaza school packed with displaced people on Thursday morning.
According to local media reports, a warplane had fired two missiles at classrooms on the top floor of the school in the Nuseirat refugee camp. While the Israeli military claimed it had conducted a “precise” strike on a “Hamas compound” within the school, Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office denied these allegations.
This is a video showing the damage to a UN school, a few hours after an Israeli airstrike which allegedly killed dozens of women and children. What do you notice about this video? pic.twitter.com/HaNKVwAqOJ
— Strxwmxn (@strxwmxn) June 6, 2024
In a statement, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel “told us there were 20 to 30 militants they were targeting [and] they’re going to release the names of those they believe they’ve killed, those militants. That is what they have said they would provide. We expect them to do that, as well as any other details that would shed light on this incident.” Miller also mentioned reports that 14 children were among the casualties. Shortly after his statement, Israel released the names of nine militants affiliated with Hamas and the Islamic Jihad who were killed in the strike. The Israeli government noted that more names would come soon.
This request from the US is notable as Israel often identifies the militants targeted in strikes, and it is unusual for the US to demand such detailed transparency.
More on the strike:
The air strike occurred in the early hours at al-Sardi school, a UNRWA-run facility in the densely populated Nuseirat camp. Videos shared on social media depicted the destruction, showing demolished classrooms and bodies wrapped in white shrouds. The injured were taken to the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir al-Balah. While exact death tolls vary, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported 40 fatalities, including women and children.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, adding that UN premises must be “inviolable.”
